Environmental Health
Learn About Our Laboratories and Capabilities
Laboratories and Capabilities
Descriptions of our specialized laboratories and capabilities across the United States.
Browse Laboratories and Capabilities science related to:
Due to a lapse in appropriations, the majority of USGS websites may not be up to date and may not reflect current conditions. Websites displaying real-time data, such as Earthquake and Water and information needed for public health and safety will be updated with limited support. Additionally, USGS will not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted. For more information, please see www.doi.gov/shutdown
Disaster Science — Capability Team
About the Capability Team
Natural (coastal storms, wildfires, floods) and human-induced (structural failures, building collapse, oil, and/or chemical spills) disasters occur every year in the United States. Minimizing loss of human life and damages to personal property and infrastructure is the focus of most disaster response and preparedness activities by federal,...
Bioactive Chemicals Research Laboratory — Boulder, Colorado
About the Laboratory
The Bioactive Chemicals Research Laboratory applies a collaborative transdisciplinary approach to conduct research to minimize the risk to human and aquatic organism health from exposure to contaminants in water supplies. This laboratory integrates analytical chemistry, modeling, laboratory-, and field-based experiments to identify and quantify key...
Algal and Other Environmental Toxins Laboratory — Lawrence, Kansas
About the Laboratory
Scientists at the Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory (OGRL) in Lawrence, Kansas, develop and employ targeted and non-targeted analytical methods for identification and quantitation of known and understudied algal/cyanobacterial toxins that can impact the health of humans and other organisms. Newly acquired (2018) instrumentation will expand...
Microbial Biogeochemistry Laboratory — Menlo Park, California
About the Laboratory
Microbiologists at the Microbial Biogeochemistry Laboratory develop and apply innovative methods to measure key microbial processes. These methods are used to better understand how major biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and iron) interact with and control the speciation and fate of metals like mercury and selenium which can impact...
High-Content Screening Laboratory — Columbia, Missouri
About the Laboratory
Toxicologists at the High-Content Screening Laboratory develop alternative toxicity testing to efficiently provide specific toxicity data to managers and regulators and prioritize compounds for further testing. Our high-content imaging capability provides a highly adaptable platform for early life stage fish toxicity testing at stages considered an...
Microbial-Contaminant Interactions Laboratory — Boulder, Colorado
About the Laboratory
The microbiologists at the Microbial-Contaminant Interactions Laboratory (MCIL) conduct research involving fate and transport of pathogens and interactions of microorganisms with chemical contaminants in aquatic systems that can impact the health of humans and other organisms. The research is applied to a wide variety of environmental media (e.g....
Geospatial Analyses and Applications — Salt Lake City, Utah
About the Laboratory
Scientists within the Geospatial Analyses and Applications Team develop and apply geospatial analytical methods to answer broad-scale questions about source-sink and cause-effect relationships between contaminants and vulnerable communities. Multivariate statistics are used to identify connections between landscape gradients and observational data....
Photomicroscopy and Flow Cytometry Laboratory — Lafayette, Louisiana
About the Laboratory
Microbiologists at the Photomicroscopy and Flow Cytometry Laboratory develop and apply biomarkers to evaluate the potential impacts of environmental contaminants at the cellular and molecular levels. Because molecular and biochemical responses of cells are preceded by chemical changes in nuclei, cytoplasm, membranes, and extracellular fluids, these...
Functional and Molecular Bioassay Laboratory — Kearneysville, West Virginia
About the Laboratory
The Functional and Molecular Bioassay Laboratory applies and modifies microbial and eukaryotic reporter bioassays to detect the presence of bioactive chemicals from environmental water samples. These analyses compliment analytical chemistry and biological datasets. The laboratory adapts and applies cell isolation and culture methods to measure...
Hydrogeophysics Laboratory — Storrs, Connecticut
About the Laboratory
The geophysicists and hydrologists at the Hydrogeophysics Laboratory develop, demonstrate, and support the application of geophysical methods to environmental-health investigations. They have expertise in a diverse suite of geophysical field methods including electrical, electromagnetic, seismic, radar, gravity, and thermal; these methods are run...
Michigan Bacteriological Research Laboratory — Lansing, Michigan
About the Laboratory
Microbiologists at the Michigan Bacteriological Research Laboratory (MI-BaRL) use a wide array of traditional and modern molecular approaches to evaluate microbial pathogens and antimicrobial resistance pathways in the environment. The MI-BaRL uses these approaches to advance the understanding of how environmental contaminants affect microbial...
Environmental and Public Health Microbiology Laboratory — St. Petersburg, Florida
About the Laboratory
The microbiologists at the Environmental and Public Health Microbiology Laboratory (EPHML) develop analytical methods for the identification and quantitation of pathogenic microorganisms that can impact the health of humans and other organisms. This laboratory also develops methods for accessing aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric drivers of toxins...